What might be the world’s first recorded successful women’s rights campaign is within the Bible. Here is the story …
Zelophehad
Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, who was one in all the 2 sons of Joseph (Numbers 27:1). Zelophehad, together with the opposite Israelites, had left Egypt with Moses. He had a wife they usually had five daughters and no sons. The Bible doesn’t often record the names of daughters unless they’re very significant, and all five of his daughters are named. They were called Mahlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah they usually had been born through the Exodus (Numbers 26:33), and before Zelophehad died within the wilderness. They were all single when their father died so we are able to assume they were quite young.
Background
Our story is ready when the Israelites were in exile for forty years after the Exodus. The Promised Land had been spied out, and the Israelites were gathered on the plains of Moab across the River Jordan. At this point Aaron has died (Numbers 33:38), but Moses remains to be alive. The land was apportioned in accordance with the names of the lads within the census, as recorded within the book of Numbers. Only men over the age of twenty were counted within the census (Numbers 1:45-46), since it was taken as a muster for military service. Zelophehad’s daughters
In the early days, women couldn’t inherit. So, when Zelophehad died sonless (Numbers 36:13) leaving his widow and five daughters with nothing, they felt this was unfair because they desired to inherit their father’s property, which otherwise would have gone to a male cousin. The Bible records their determination because “they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all of the congregation, at the doorway of the tent of meeting” (Numbers 27:2). Perhaps encouraged by their mother, they spoke boldly and explained the injustice of the situation before Moses and Eleazer, who was now High Priest after the death of his father Aaron (Numbers 20:28).
The five daughters explained that Zelophehad had been loyal to Moses and had not taken part in Korah’s riot (Numbers 27:3). They asked: “Why should the name of our father be done away from amongst his family, because he had no son?” (Numbers 27:4, KJV) and Moses “brought their case before the LORD” (Numbers 27:5, KJV).
As a result, it was agreed that not only could they inherit, but as well as the anomaly within the Mosaic law was modified in order that: “If a person die, and haven’t any son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter” (Numbers 27:8, KJV). Indeed, we read that later they did receive their inheritance they usually married relatives inside their very own tribe (Number 36:12). They inherited land within the Promised Land (Joshua 17:3-6), inside “Manasseh’s share” which “consisted of ten tracts of land besides Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan” (Joshua 17:5 NIV).
Female inheritance
The story of Zelophehad’s daughters established two fundamental Jewish theological principles. It established the precedent that the Mosaic law might be challenged and altered. It also established that girls could inherit in addition to men, and due to this fact inheritance, including the royal throne, could go down the feminine line. It shouldn’t be the one case of female inheritance within the Bible, because we read that Job gave inheritance equally to his sons and his daughters (Job 42:15). Later we also read of Achsah, daughter of Caleb, who married Othniel who became the primary of the Judges (Judges 3:11th of September). She requested and received an inheritance of land within the Negev and water resources from her father (Judges 1:9-15).
Afterlife of the story
The story of Zelophehad’s daughters played a theological and political role in English and Scottish history, during debates about royal succession to the throne.
In the 1140s, the story of Zelophehad was quoted to back up the claim for Matilda, only surviving child of King Henry I, to inherit the English throne. Henry I had named Matilda as his heir. Some people consider Matilda to be the primary ruling queen of England from 1141-48, although Matilda was never formally crowned and as an alternative was often called the “Lady of the English”. The throne was taken by her cousin Stephen de Blois, but Matilda’s son succeeded to the throne as Henry II in 1154.
A couple of centuries later in England, the story paved the best way for the Tudor princesses Mary and Elizabeth to be heirs after the death of their brother Edward VI, with the accession of Queen Mary I in 1553, and later Queen Elizabeth I in 1558.
Meanwhile in Calvinist Scotland, the story of Zelophehad’s daughters was quoted in debates about whether it allowed King James V’s only child Princess Mary to grow to be queen, which she later did as Mary Queen of Scots in 1564. Then when James VI inherited the Scottish throne, it was through the feminine line as daughter of Mary, Queen of Scots. When he inherited the English throne as James I it was also through the feminine line because the great-grandson of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VII who had married James V of Scotland.
Modern echoes
You may pay attention to the plot in a contemporary adaptation, since the story of Zelophehad’s daughters has influenced literature, where it has been retold in modern settings.
Jane Austen picks up the thought in her book ‘Pride and Prejudice’, published in 1813. Mr Bennet is a contemporary Zelophehad, who inherited his estate under a legal entail which stated he could only leave the estate to a male family member. That was not a priority at first, because he presumed to have a son who would at some point inherit. However as an alternative, echoing the story of Zelophehad, the plot revolves across the proven fact that he had five daughters, called Jane, Mary, Catherine, Lydia, and Elizabeth, who couldn’t inherit.
The idea of a person with five daughters and no son, can be used as a theme within the story ‘Fiddler on the Roof’. In 1964, this was made right into a successful musical based on the book by Joseph Stein which is ready in or about 1905. The fiddler is a pious Jewish dairyman called Tevye living near Kiev within the Ukraine. He has five daughters called Tzeitel, Hodel, Chava, Shprintze and Bielkewho, who each need a dowry.
Read the story
This story is over 3,000 years old and is most likely the world’s oldest story of a successful women’s rights campaign. The story of Zelophehad’s daughters shouldn’t be well-known in lots of traditional Church traditions, since it doesn’t appear within the lectionary, but it is crucial theologically. If you usually are not aware of the inspiring story of Zelophehad’s daughters you possibly can read it in Numbers 27:1-11 and Joshua 17:3-6.
